Your Streaming Device Might Be Tracking You. Here’s How to Shut It Down – CNET

🔍 Summary:

Streaming devices like Roku, Fire Stick, Apple TV, and Chromecast are popular for their convenience in accessing services like Netflix and Hulu. However, they also collect data on users’ viewing habits to personalize ads and recommendations. This tracking can be concerning for privacy-conscious users, but there are ways to limit this data collection.

Amazon’s Fire TV collects data on app usage frequency and duration but not on specific content watched within third-party apps. Users can adjust their privacy settings to reduce data tracking for marketing purposes and avoid targeted ads, though non-targeted ads will still appear.

Google’s Chromecast does not use Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) to monitor specific content watched but does collect extensive data across Google products for ad selling and content recommendations. Users can manage privacy settings to control data collection.

Roku gathers information on search history, channel access, and interactions with content and ads. This data is shared with advertisers. Users can modify privacy settings to limit tracking.

Apple TV collects data related to playback activity and shares some information with partners for marketing and ad sales. However, Apple asks users for permission before allowing apps to track activity. Additional privacy settings are available to further restrict data usage.

By navigating through device settings, users can regain some control over their personal information and reduce the extent of tracking by their streaming devices.

📌 Source: https://www.cnet.com/tech/home-entertainment/your-streaming-device-might-be-tracking-you-heres-how-to-shut-it-down/